The invention concerns a method for the exactly weight-controlled filling of ingot molds of a nonferrous casting machine, for example, a copper anode casting machine or a zinc anode casting machine, which is designed in the form of casting wheels for production in a fully mechanized casting operation and is equipped with ingot molds, wherein, in a first step, molten metal is introduced into an intermediate trough at a regulated mass flow rate with simultaneous determination of the continuous dynamic weight increase, and, in a second step, molten metal is alternately fed into metering troughs located on either side of the intermediate trough by tilting the intermediate trough first to one side and then to the other, and after the first metering trough has been filled, the intermediate trough is tilted towards the second metering trough, and at the same time the mass of an anode is cast from the metering trough that was filled first into one of the ingot molds located on the casting wheel by a controlled tilting movement.
The invention also concerns a device for carrying out the method of the invention.
In contrast to the production of individual castings, for example, castings produced in relatively small piece numbers in sand molds, anodes made of nonferrous metals are produced in relatively large piece numbers in a fully mechanized casting operation with the use of cast iron, copper, or steel ingot molds that can be used many times. The features that characterize the desired quality of the anodes are exact piece weight and exact plane parallelism of the surfaces of the anodes.
Constant values of these parameters are achieved in an especially advantageous way with the use of casting machines equipped with casting wheels. In this regard, in the peripheral area, for example, of one or two casting wheels equipped with ingot molds, stationary opposite casting troughs are provided in a tiltable system, which are alternately filled with casting metal as the ingot molds pass beneath them and are then poured out into one of the ingot molds as it comes to a stop.
The natural limits of the well-known production process are set by the speed difference between the stationary casting troughs and the ingot molds passing beneath these casting troughs with the casting wheel. The speed difference forces the maximum achievable output of anode casting according to the weight, quantity, and quality of the pieces, especially as a function of the necessary standing time of the casting wheel and the moving times, including the times required for accelerations and decelerations.
The cycle time, i.e., the period of time between the positioning of, for example, two ingot molds, is calculated here from the standing time of the casting wheel for the purpose of filling, inspection, and removal, and the moving times, accelerations, and decelerations, taking into account the fact that there is some overlapping of the moving times and the filling.
The document DE 1 956 076 A1 describes a method and equipment for producing a relatively large number of copper anode plates. This method uses casting wheels, whose molds are successively filled with molten copper at a point on the circumference of the wheel and then further rotated by the distance between two molds. In short intervals, metered amounts of molten metal are alternately delivered from a single removal site into at least two casting wheels, so that one casting wheel is rotated further as long as the casting operation is occurring at the other casting wheel.
To achieve exactly weight-controlled casting of copper anode plates in the individual molds of a casting wheel, it is known from German Auslegeschrift 2 011 698 that the desired weight of the anode plates can be determined before the casting metal is poured into a mold independently of the actual weight of a previously cast anode plate by weighing out an absolutely adjustable partial amount of a total amount that is two to three times the partial amount.
The document JP 55[1980]-084,268 describes a method for increasing the efficiency of a casting machine with a casting wheel by the use of two casting positions. In the casting machine, an intermediate trough, which is provided with transversely directed outlets, is arranged below an outlet in such a way that it can be tilted about its horizontal axis. Metering troughs for weighing the metal are arranged below each outlet of the intermediate trough and can be tilted about the axis. An ingot mold is arranged below the outlet of each metering trough.
The document DE 1 956 076 A1 discloses a method and equipment for producing a relatively large number of copper anode plates. In this method, metered amounts of molten metal are alternately delivered from a single removal site into at least two casting wheels, so that one casting wheel is rotated further as long as the casting operation is occurring at another casting wheel or at the other casting wheel.
During this operation, the supply of molten metal for metering is controlled by weighing the total amount on which the metering is based, and the available amount of molten metal, from which the partial amount is to be separated, is held constant.